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misspippireads's review against another edition
4.0
"Are there any small children in the room now? If so, it would be best if you just...hurried them off to bed. Because this is where things start to get, well...awesome. But in a horrible, bloody kind of way."
If you prefer not to read about blood, gore, fights and magic, I would pass this title up...well, maybe. I would have to agree with the quote, it is awesome. Awesome, as in the definition of awe. Gidwitz put the classic tales and gave them new twists, while maintaining the old feel of blood, guts and gore. The original tales are not pretty. The original tales were gathered from the German people at that time and the folklore was bloody. Life is not always happy ever afters and those original tales reflected that feeling of right and wrong, revenge and reward. If you enjoy a good fairytale, find a copy of A Tale Dark & Grimm. Gidwitz wove the tale of Hansel and Gretal, but he offers a couple more stories on his website at http://www.adamgidwitz.com/tales-dark-new.
Johnny Heller returns to read! I previously heard him read Flawed Dogs and Al Capone Does My Shirts. I enjoy listening to him read. When I placed the first CD in the player, it felt like welcoming a friend back. Thanks for a great listen, Johnny.
Reviewed from a library copy.
If you prefer not to read about blood, gore, fights and magic, I would pass this title up...well, maybe. I would have to agree with the quote, it is awesome. Awesome, as in the definition of awe. Gidwitz put the classic tales and gave them new twists, while maintaining the old feel of blood, guts and gore. The original tales are not pretty. The original tales were gathered from the German people at that time and the folklore was bloody. Life is not always happy ever afters and those original tales reflected that feeling of right and wrong, revenge and reward. If you enjoy a good fairytale, find a copy of A Tale Dark & Grimm. Gidwitz wove the tale of Hansel and Gretal, but he offers a couple more stories on his website at http://www.adamgidwitz.com/tales-dark-new.
Johnny Heller returns to read! I previously heard him read Flawed Dogs and Al Capone Does My Shirts. I enjoy listening to him read. When I placed the first CD in the player, it felt like welcoming a friend back. Thanks for a great listen, Johnny.
Reviewed from a library copy.
blackberryblues's review against another edition
4.0
Good for its demographic. A Tale Dark and Grimm is the sort of book that lingers in the back of your throat after you read it.
charlotteg's review
3.0
Good, but narrating is for 8 and scary for ten. What age are you aiming for?
finalgirlfall's review against another edition
5.0
adam gidwitz providing the Divorced Parent Rep in fairytales that i love... <3 also, i've been haunted by one chapter of this book since i first read it, but i can't remember many details. i may have to reach out to the author and see if he can tell me the source story.
ptothelo's review
4.0
A great book that ties together various stories from Grimm's Fairy Tales with Hansel and Gretel. There is great humor to the re-telling and just the right amount of asides from the narrator to the reader. One of these days I'll have to read the original.
My favorite part is how under-standing is not explained as just understanding what someone says, but standing under them and supporting them.
My favorite part is how under-standing is not explained as just understanding what someone says, but standing under them and supporting them.
dustyshell's review
adventurous
dark
funny
4.0
Funny and macabre at the same time. An amusing spin on the Grimm’s version of the classic fairy tale.
erinb_0508's review
4.0
I see so much potential for deeper thinking activities for kids, but so gory. It took my breath away at parts because of the sheer level of gore. I think it will make kids motitvated to read, but I would be contentious about the age of child I would have read it.
Main idea: The whole story of Hansel and Gretel; 2 kids that run away, looking for good adults in the world, find horrific adventures along the way.
Certain parts would make great reader's theater for anyone, but because of the graphic nature of the descriptions, you would have to be careful where you stop and start.
Main idea: The whole story of Hansel and Gretel; 2 kids that run away, looking for good adults in the world, find horrific adventures along the way.
Certain parts would make great reader's theater for anyone, but because of the graphic nature of the descriptions, you would have to be careful where you stop and start.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
I would have loved this book so much as a kid, so I of course I loved it quite a bit now. Gidwitz combines several of the original gory tales from the Brothers Grimm together to tell the real story of Hansel and Gretel and his snarky narrator keeps the kids interest by reminding them that these are really gory stories and little kids shouldn't be reading them, as well as interjecting whenever something seems a little weird.
I'm a big fan of the original Grimm stories, so I had a great time with this one and will likely devour the rest of the series, but there are plenty of fractured fairy tales series out there, so if you're feeling a little burnt out, I'd understand why you might want to skip it.
I'm a big fan of the original Grimm stories, so I had a great time with this one and will likely devour the rest of the series, but there are plenty of fractured fairy tales series out there, so if you're feeling a little burnt out, I'd understand why you might want to skip it.
beccadavies's review
5.0
Dark, grim, gory yet brillant. The teens in my book club LOVED this book and it gave us lots of talking points. They were ignorant about the orginal Grimm books being as gruesome as they were so this was a nice introduction for them.
Mr Gidwitz, you have either given the teen and children readers a great gift of questioning all fairy-tales, nursery rhymes and the like; or you have scarred them for life. Either way, a memorable and educational book that is also a great read!
Mr Gidwitz, you have either given the teen and children readers a great gift of questioning all fairy-tales, nursery rhymes and the like; or you have scarred them for life. Either way, a memorable and educational book that is also a great read!
missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
Eine sehr unterhaltsame und kurzweilige Neuerzählung von ein paar der blutrünstigsten Grimm-märchen. Adam Gidwitz erzählt die Geschichte von Hänsel und Gretel wie sie sich wirklich zugetragen hat.
Das Buch ist in mehrere Kapitel unterteilt, die sich alle einem bestimmten Märchen widmen, es gibt Parallelen zum treuen Johann, Brüderchen und Schwesterchen, dem Brauträuber und vielen mehr. In den letzten 3 Kapiteln verlässt der Autor sich nicht mehr auf die Gebrüder Grimm und erzählt seine Geschichte selbst zuende.
Obwohl aus vielen verschiedenen Märchen Geschehnisse und Figuren zusammentreffen, hat Adam Gidwitz seine eigene Story erschaffen, die sich am Ende wunderbar zusammenfügt und alle losen Fäden fest verknotet. Hänsel und Gretel bestreiten die meisten Abenteuer gemeinsam, manchmal aber auch allein. Dabei stiehlt Gretel Hänsel definitiv die Show, sie ist einfach mutiger und hat mehr Charakter als ihr Bruder.
Der Erzähler sorgt mit seinen Warnungen und Einschüben für den nötigen Witz. Am liebsten war er mir, wenn er sarkastisch wurde:
Ein Buch für alle, die mit Märchen aufgewachsen sind. Mich hat es sogar dazu gebracht mein Gebrüder Grimm Buch hervorzuholen und noch mal ein paar Erzählungen nachzulesen.
Das Buch ist in mehrere Kapitel unterteilt, die sich alle einem bestimmten Märchen widmen, es gibt Parallelen zum treuen Johann, Brüderchen und Schwesterchen, dem Brauträuber und vielen mehr. In den letzten 3 Kapiteln verlässt der Autor sich nicht mehr auf die Gebrüder Grimm und erzählt seine Geschichte selbst zuende.
Obwohl aus vielen verschiedenen Märchen Geschehnisse und Figuren zusammentreffen, hat Adam Gidwitz seine eigene Story erschaffen, die sich am Ende wunderbar zusammenfügt und alle losen Fäden fest verknotet. Hänsel und Gretel bestreiten die meisten Abenteuer gemeinsam, manchmal aber auch allein. Dabei stiehlt Gretel Hänsel definitiv die Show, sie ist einfach mutiger und hat mehr Charakter als ihr Bruder.
Der Erzähler sorgt mit seinen Warnungen und Einschüben für den nötigen Witz. Am liebsten war er mir, wenn er sarkastisch wurde:
For a momente she [Gretel] stopped and considered following the rain's advice. But then she shook her head. "You're being foolish," Gretel told herself. "Rain can't talk."
No, of course it can't. The moon cat eat children, and fingers can open doors, and people's heads can be put back on.
But rain? Talk? Don't be ridiculous.
Good thinking, Gretel dear. Good thinking.
- S. 97
Ein Buch für alle, die mit Märchen aufgewachsen sind. Mich hat es sogar dazu gebracht mein Gebrüder Grimm Buch hervorzuholen und noch mal ein paar Erzählungen nachzulesen.